Amazing in a lot of ways, but the story is a hit-or-miss

Do NOT read this review if you don't want spoilers.
Spoiler-free tl;dr version: the cinematography, acting, music, everything is really good. The storyline is also mostly good but there are some aspects that go a little overboard and may be frustrating. The ending felt a little offputting to me; it felt like there wasn't enough closure compared to the things that happened. At the same time, I feel like this is a case of hit-or-miss, what was frustrating to me may not be to you. Nevertheless, its definitely worth the watch.

I heard a lot of good things about this show and barely even halfway into the first episode I could see why. The way the premise was set, the storytelling, the characterization, everything had me hooked. But in the latter half I felt like I was ready for it to be over already. Not even sure why I'm being so critical of this one, considering I've loved a lot of worse shows, but I think the first couple of episodes set the bar so high that the rest couldn't really meet those expectations and ended up feeling somewhat frustrating.
To start with, the cinematography is absolutely brilliant, and so are the actors. The music just ties it up together to bring you the perfect package.
I love the characterization of Teh and Oh, they're so different but at the same time have so much in common. I especially like the characterization of Oh as a "feminine" gay man but not falling into the typical cliches or being portrayed as a caricature of both women and feminine gay men. Teh's main characteristics are both his high points and his pitfalls: he practically communicates through grand gestures, be it the negatives or the positives, and finds it really hard to acknowledge his true feelings. He would leave everything and make a picture book so that the man he loves can study but can't freaking communicate with that man. The storyline isn't new, it's closer to overdone in romances, but I liked the way it was interpreted here. Starting with their childhood friendship, the fallout and the getting back together set the stage for the show very well.
I also loved the way them relearning each other and getting closer was showcased. Ironic as it may be, Teh helping Oh hit on Bas was one of my favorite arcs, it seriously gave me those bestie vibes and I loved seeing that.
Now for the downhill curve of the storyline... Well, I was expecting the angst but not quite in this way. Teh being in denial of his feelings was absolutely expected, but that didn't make the way he treated Oh any less damaging. I was so pissed at him in that scene after the kiss when he tells Oh that they were just friends. It's one thing to deny your own feelings, but his actions, even if inadvertently, were leading Oh on and he refused to give him any actual clarity. Oh was at fault too for continuing to push someone who was obviously not ready, but I feel like everything would've been a lot simpler if Teh actually talked to Oh and addressed what was going on between them instead of doubling down on other aspects and ignoring the elephant in the room.
The issue was that Teh was doing the most for Oh but not giving him what he actually wanted. He was breaking Oh's heart but then overcompensating for it through grand gestures. It was fine till making the book for him, but then the whole "throwing away his own future" thing happened and I almost smashed my laptop. I know they're teenagers so of course they aren't going to do everything right, but you would rather throw away the future you worked so hard for, throw away your and your family's dream, instead of simply talking to Oh once? And again, very expectedly, Oh chose not to "steal" his dream. The second person on that waiting list must have sent them a lot of blessings. This part really frustrated me lol.
Things just continued to go wrong from there, but honestly? This would all have been fine if they gave it a good resolution. But to me the resolution felt incomplete. The conversation with Hoon addressed his sexuality, but the guilt that drove him to do so much was largely unaddressed. Yes, internalized homophobia is a bitch, but in this one I would've appreciated if they actually brought up the things we saw throughout the show, mainly feeling guilty for the way he had treated Oh and the frustration that even after doing so much literally nothing good came out of it: he lost his seat at his dream college, he screwed up his chances at getting into the normal program, and he also lost Oh as both a friend and romantic interest. Honestly the way it was just boiled down to internalized homophobia kinda put me off. Yes, that may have been the root cause, but I kinda expected them to actually address the fact that his overcompensation did more harm than good. Subtext is fine too though.
I also had a major case of second lead syndrome for Bas. Honestly Bas was pretty much the boyfriend Oh deserved to have, so to see him with someone who was actually on the same page as him actually made me feel like I would've preferred this ship more. Like honestly, take the premise and make it a romcom about Teh helping Oh win Bas' heart lol, I need that brightness now.
Overall it was still an amazing show, and maybe after a rewatch it'll feel less offputting, but the main issue tbh was that it started out way too well for the devolving into your average drama to feel justified. At the same time, it felt like it ended too abruptly. I feel like there should've been more closure after all that went down.

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hands down THEE best I've ever watched

Oh god I don't even know where to start. The sheer excellence of this show!!!
Warning: This review WILL have spoilers coz I can't NOT spoil stuff, apparently.

First of all, the acting!! I can't believe this is Mix's acting debut, you could feel every emotion of Tian from just his expressions... brilliant, just brilliant. Earth is flawless, as usual. EarthMix's chemistry was just out of this world. The supportive cast was also so good, including the kids.
Plot wise, I think this might be the most fleshed out BL. The fact that the premise and setting itself is so different opens up new avenues for plot and character development that are rarely addressed in BLs.
For one, I think the development of Tian and Phupha's relationship was really well done. They start out with Phupha thinking Tian is some rich brat here to collect brownie points and Tian thinking Phupha is unfairly harsh on him and their view of each other slowly progresses with Tian showing responsibility and a genuine desire to be a good teacher and Phupha softening towards Tian. One thing I like is that even when Phupha is shown as being harsh, he's not outright abusive, which is a very common way to portray the so-called "hard exterior" characters. I'm not sure if it's just Earth's acting (coz he definitely has that big brother vibe that just makes everything sound sincerely caring) but even when Phupha is "harsh" to Tian, it comes off as genuine worry and care for Tian and he actually gives productive advice instead of just insulting him. (I realize that's a pretty low bar but that's where we're at with "tsundere" portrayals, unfortunately)
Tian's character is genuinely interesting. He's privileged and to some extent spoiled, but he is self-aware and it is something that digs into his conscience. Most of his young adulthood was spent traumatized by his imminent death. He also has a very obvious defense mechanism, when something threatens to overwhelm him, he puts on a facade of nonchalance, and this extends to even the possibility of his own death: he almost immediately accepts it and just asks how long he has. It also shows when Phupha confronts him on things that are very obviously eating at him, but he immediately shuts down and acts as if he isn't bothered. Though it usually dissolves fairly quickly and you can see him get visibly overwhelmed (again, kudos to Mix's acting), I think this defense mechanism is interesting to note.
I also love the character development of Tian. He starts out as someone who doesn't see himself living long enough for his life to be meaningful, and so he acts out through your typical rich brat debauchery. When his heart gives out, he doesn't expect to wake up, but he does, and this prickles at his conscience because it took someone else losing their life for him to get this "second chance" that he didn't consider himself to be deserving of. The more he learns about Torfun, the more he feels survivor's guilt as he thinks her life was much more meaningful, culminating in him realizing that he didn't just benefit from Torfun dying, the car race he started was directly responsible for it. His journey to Pha Pun Dao is one of a tormented and guilt-ridden man seeking to redeem himself by living the life of the person who saved his. At this point he's still a fairly shallow person, his trip to Pha Pun Dao is all about him feeling better about himself, and he has no plans whatsoever about how he is actually going to handle his new occupation.
He messes up several times in the early days, but he grows step by step with the help of Phupha and everyone else in the unit and the village. He forms genuine bonds with the people around him and earns their love as well. His struggle with impractical goodwill vs genuinely helpful resourcefulness is also well highlighted. The first arc ends with the fallout from his secrets about Torfun, and with its fairly neat resolution the second (shorter? not really) arc centering Tian and Phupha's relationship begins.
While I was pretty frustrated with ep 9, this conflict was actually fairly reasonable. Phupha is absolutely right in thinking that Tian might benefit from a return to his old life to re-evaluate what he wants from his life, coz Tian actually has never considered at length what he actually wants from his life - first he expected to die young and any hopes were futile, and then he was too busy fulfilling Torfun's wishes to think about his own wants. But the way he went about it, hurting Tian's feelings to "make the decision easier" for him, was a dick move. Tian is a grown adult and should be allowed to make his own decisions, it's really annoying when a character assumes they know better for a person and ends up hurting them in a major way. Tian was actually at his lowest point in this phase believing that nothing in his interactions with Phupha had come from a place of genuine care from Phupha's side. This might be my only major gripe with the plot, this was unnecessary suffering that wasn't even adequately explainable and seemed out of character for Phupha to knowingly inflict such pain on Tian - as I mentioned, he was usually an understanding and compassionate person. Honestly, when they had a genuine conversation later, I could actually agree with Phupha's side and probably Tian could too. They could've easily skipped the first half and the show would probably get a perfect score on story from me.
I also enjoyed the arc leading up to the ending, from Tian genuinely considering what he wants from his life and actively updating Phupha even if he doesn't get a response back, to the heartwarming airport scene, to him coming back two years later professionally qualified to be a teacher and still wanting to teach in Pha Pun Dao and still wanting to spend his life with Phupha. Tian was turbulent through most of the story and questioning the worth and purpose of his life, so it is only fitting that the story ends at a point when Tian has reached a clear and decisive conclusion about his life.
Random tidbits I liked about the plot:
- the fact that Torfun's wish, which is a driving point for much of the plot, turns out to be something that Tian already accomplished
- Tian and Phupha's conversations. Idk I just love them a lot. Especially the whole cliff scene the night before Tian leaves and Phupha's letter in Torfun's journal.
- the somewhat nuanced commentary on wealth, even though they don't really address it in a significant way

Minor gripes about the plot:
- the fallout over Tian's secrets was somewhat contrived and resolved too quickly. Why didn't he tell them everything in the first place? Making them believe he killed someone they loved when just two sentences more would've clarified everything seems strange. The "oh Dr. Nam suddenly rechecked the documents for kicks and discovered the timings don't match up" resolution followed by the quick shootout resolution of the Sakda plot that had been dragged out for weeks seemed a little rushed.
- the villagers' mood swings were even more abrupt and unexplained than mine when I'm on my period. To be fair hardly any series has actually fleshed out minor characters beyond a singular dimension, but this one actually raised my standards a fair bit so these things annoyed me more. The villagers hardly had any dialogues and acted like a one-dimensional monolith that switched for or against Tian at a moment's notice. Coz of this you don't really form any attachment to the villagers, unlike the kids, which made that otherwise tearjerking goodbye scene with Tian somewhat awkward: these were the same mfs giving him the stinkeye two days ago, and now suddenly he's the most loved teacher with no prior resolution?
- I understand that the series essentially centered Tian and Phupha was in a relatively stable place in life, but I wish his side of the story was fleshed out a little more beyond just falling for Tian. You don't even really see him coping with Torfun's death beyond occasional flashbacks for "oMg-ToRfUn-AnD-tIaN-aRe-So-SiMiLaR" moments. The story didn't necessarily *need* this but it would have been a good enhancement.
- I kind of hated the focus on Tian and Torfun's similarities. A lot of the times it was things Tian was blatantly repeating from Torfun's experiences and that played into Phupha's feeling of betrayal, but sometimes it was just ridiculous. Going into a "oMg-ToRfUn-AnD-tIaN-aRe-So-SiMiLaR" flashback over a fcking cabbage dish just had me facepalming. The worst was the scene when Phupha was drunk and Tian totally expected him to confess but the mf goes "yOu'Re So SiMiLaR tO tOrFuN i'M cOnSiDeRiNg ReInCaRnAtIoN". The way the smile slid off Tian's face... yikes.

Moving on, the music on this show is absolutely amazing. Every song was such a perfect fit for the scenes they were used in, and the main OST is beautiful. Definitely 10/10 material. As for rewatch value, well this review was after my first watch, but I'm already tempted to rewatch.

Overall, I initially gave this show a strong 9.5/10, with that 0.5 deducted solely coz of some small plot-related issues, but fuck it, I'm reconsidering it to a 10. It might seem weird that I said this was the best I've watched only to take digs at so many things, but the perfect show doesn't exist lol and this is definitely leagues ahead of its peers.

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Makes you wanna bang your head against the wall in slow burn but you love it

Yeah the headline pretty much summarizes it. It's technically a romcom, but the kind where you're crying for the most part.
It really captures the tropes and the cheesiness of romance movies pretty well. But the highlight is the angst. And evidently, we all LOVE angst.
Okay, starting off, I don't think I need to even say anything about the acting. OffGun are amazing, and so are Mike, White, and Earth. The supporting actors also did really well, especially the ones who played Lynn and Paan.
The OST is absolutely my favorite. Nothing beats it, except maybe The Untamed.
Okay, coming to the plot: I really love it. Maybe its just the angst lover in me but the different spins on unrequited love really got me.
On my first watch I spent the first half basically cussing Kai out. The amount of hatred I felt for him at that point was off the charts. On your first watch you're watching from Third's pov and empathizing with him so Kai really does seem like a total jackass. But rewatching it honestly gave me a completely different perspective on it: the first time round I didn't really register how much Third was responsible for his own suffering. For the most part, Kai was oblivious, and can you blame him? Third barely let his feelings show. But yes, Kai did take Third for granted and was in general as ass who didn't show his friends enough care. The "breaking his heart so he goes back to being my friend" kiss though? Total dick move.
But the key point of the first half was that more than just being in love with Kai, Third was too attached to the concept of romance and looking at his life through a cinematic lens. He romanticized the idea of unrequited love, his favorite romance movies telling him that if he's dedicated enough one day his love will be returned. Which is why I like how Third gets disillusioned and then detaches himself from the concept of love and his dedication to it, prioritizing himself and his sanity. And that is where the switch flips, and we see the rest of the story from Kai's pov. And this is how we slowly start falling for Kai. I'll be honest, nothing in the first half really hurt me as much as that scene with Kai, heartbroken after the movie scene, rehearsing the lines again and again following Third's instruction to be more energetic, but at the same time tears are falling down his face as he realizes this is how Third must have felt all those times. Maybe it's coz he spends most of the series with a smile on his face, but whenever he cries (especially when he's forcing a smile but ends up crying) it just hits so much harder.
The accident arc was kinda not my thing, but it served its purpose I guess. The arc with the junior girl and "I don't want to love you anymore, it hurts" - so. much. pain. But worth it. It was needed, coz Third was obviously still insecure, and Kai couldn't really find the balance between overcompensating for what he did before and actually talking stuff out. He tried to just pretend nothing happened and if he just shows Third enough love he'll forget it, but he just ended up setting himself up for heartbreak. The train scene hits hard coz we feel that sense of abandonment, of being forgotten, but it's also a time lapse of Kai finally letting go of the false hope he had that everything would magically become fine, which actually lasts even until Third comes there - he's still pretending everything's fine and as if he didn't wait all day for people who (inadvertently) ditched him, but Third hugging him is the final straw that makes him break down.
The flow kinda dies down after that though, the last episode doesn't really live upto the peak in this one.
Then there's the side ships. I kind of like how all of their stories play into the idea of unrequited love. Two has been pining after Lynn for years but doesn't realize that he's also on the receiving end of unrequited love until much later - by that time, he actually returns the feelings, but he had been so caught up in his old crush that he didn't acknowledge them. Poor Lynn though, girl seems to have a hard time finding love, first that jackass of a boyfriend, and then the guy who loved her having fallen for someone else by the time they got together. I really liked the Bone and Paan story though, in that they let it remain unrequited. Beyond the awkwardness of the student-teacher dynamic, that's the most realistic course of an unrequited love - the object of your affection probably does not feel the same way about you and probably does not realize that you've put them on a pedestal and are looking at them through rose-tinted glasses. But Bone shows the true selflessness of love, even unrequited, when he decides to choose Paan's happiness over a chance for him to (possibly) win her over. Bone best boy. Be like Bone, everyone.

Overall, this is the kind of show I would consider a classic, a must-watch. There's a lot to love about it, be it the movie references, the pining and angst, the portrayal of romance, the iconic scenes. The verdict is that if you haven't watched it, you absolutely should.

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You hate it but you love it

I still wonder how LBC and this got so popular despite being SUPER problematic. Hell how did the original novel get so popular considering (from what I've heard) it's about 10x worse??
Anyway, TharnType was doomed from the start with the plot it has but somehow they made it work. At the end of the day when you watch it, you actually enjoy it, and you actually LIKE it, despite how messy it is.
I'd say this, the acting and chemistry carried this show on its bare back. The direction also needs to be praised coz the way the plot and character development was showcased is pretty good.
Now for the stuff we all hate:
1. The plot promotes rape culture. It's actually a pretty common "trope" (so to say) in both het and gay media: if the person you like doesn't like you back you should just keep pushing, invade their personal space, even molest them into liking you. Coz that's basicallyMew is charming enough to make Tharn look likeable, and the plot makes you feel bad for him, but realistically he's abusive. Not only that, his behavior stems from the abuse that was inflicted on him - his brother's friend "convinced" the "small and cute" 14-year-old Tharn to have sex with him (that would probably be considered statutory rape) and it was a pretty scarring experience for Tharn. Further on this note
2. The plot heavily dilutes the seriousness of rape. On one hand you have your friendly neighborhood Tharn molesting a rape survivor, on the other you have Tar's rapists and blackmailer/mastermind getting off scot free (Lhong even got a "redemption arc" imagine that). Then there's Tharn's own abuser who comes home for tea every other week and even tries to interfere in TharnType's relationship, and what he did is?? Never really addressed?? Won't get into Techno and Kengkla here, but No deserved so much better than being shipped with his rapist.
3. The (pseudo?) incest. Idc if they're not blood related its still weird for Tum to be into his brother. Why are all the ships in this universe so weird?
4. Regarding the flow of the plot, there are some aspects that feel a little too dragged out or clickbait-y compared to their actual relevance in the story. Or looking at it in another way, the plot points are kinda left as loose ends or snipped too fast after dragging it out. For example, the Type dating Puifai drama was pretty stretched out, but then it just resolved it two seconds and we don't even see her again. Then there's P'San, Type makes a whole mess being jealous, but in the end San just ends up being a "teaching moment" character with no actual purpose in the story.
5. Sideships/characters that are just... there. What was even the point of making Khlui and Seo a thing when they end the series exactly how they started? Also Techno/Champ is such a missed opportunity ugh why would you choose to write a fcking rapistxvictim plot instead of that wholesome and cute duo?

Now for the good parts.
1. The cast. THE CAST. Like literally every one of them is a gem, but especially Gulf, Mew, Kaownah, and Mild. The acting is one of the biggest pros TharnType has over LBC and boy does it carry the show. Seriously the only reason the show is tolerable is coz the actors make it.
2. The characterization of Tharn and Type is actually pretty good, especially Type. The whole brash exterior but soft interior thing was really well pulled off - again, props to Gulf. Initially I kinda hated Type's characterization (I mean... the homophobia? The ill-temper? Take your pick) but then as the plot progressed he kinda unraveled into a more well-rounded character with both rough and soft aspects, especially those little transitions into softness whenever Tharn did something sweet. With Tharn... well, the character makes you wanna root for him. If you leave aside the creepy parts, he's the perfect pining, sad protagonist you're supposed to root for. His shittier actions are overshadowed by the "nice" things he does. Hell, putting them in one frame he seems like the "saner" one. That also plays into the rape culture aspect - him being pushy and creepy is portrayed as being "playful" and "flirty" and "dedicated" and coz Type is shown to "like" it, we're supposed to as well. It's honestly not that different from Kengkla and No after all. To get to the point, I initially liked his character and if I watch it again I'll probably still end up liking him, but he's basically the "Nice Guy" trope personified - Mew just pulls it off well and the way he's portrayed makes you forget that. I'll still put that as a pro for characterization coz they made him likeable.
3. The Lhong as the villain plot twist and Type's whole plan to take him down was pretty good. But unfortunately the retribution seems painfully less, you just see him crying to three different people and then Father Thorn "forgives" his sins. Yeah as if he didn't get a kid gangraped, blackmailed and traumatized him for years, and tried to murder Type.

Well, to conclude... if you haven't watched it, I'll probably say don't watch it. But at the same time, I actually did enjoy watching it despite how messed up it is.

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